Leaves from the Vine
by Ishi Bana-Bana
Summary: It takes one letter to make a spark. It takes two letters to make the world catch on fire. And it takes three to burn it to the ground...The mystery man, the letter writer, is ready for the world to burn. Subtle Maiko, Mao. InspiredByFyre! T for violence.
1. Leaves from the Vine

A single boat floated restlessly. It was dark, and the sea was calm. The boat, miniscule yet sturdy against the elements, drifted on the warm wind. And on this single boat a revolution would start.

"My Lord," a woman panted. She was skinny, beautiful, and elegant. Her black hair blended in with the moonless sky. Her skin was the strange light brown tan of sand. She wore a simple brown dress. Her eyes were hidden by shadows. "Is the ball in motion?" She asked.

Her master's sitting form shifted. He spoke in a soft and quiet, yet deep voice, "Yes, Tazu. The ball is in motion." The mysterious man stood up. "It's amazing what one letter can do," He added.

Tazu faltered. "And will it work?" She searched his eyes hopefully.

"Do you doubt me, Tazu?" He asked. "The letters will reach the girl. It will start. Trust me," He held her hand.

Tazu grinned eerily. "They'll all pay," She seethed.

The mysterious man glanced at the madwoman in front of him, but returned to his work. "Yes," He replied. "They will."

* * *

Sokka grimaced at the situation before him. On one side, there were the prison guards and Azula and her friends, and on the other side was freedom, but the gondola stopped halfway because the prison guards stopped the gondola with one of their swords. And below them was imminent death. Boiling water hissed and bubbled, making the air hotter than it already was. And since they were in the Fire Nation, where the climate is hot enough already, they were sweating buckets. The jagged cliffs of the caldera's outer rim looked much more friendly. And behind them, the flat island looked the friendliest. The gondola was packed with Sokka's friends and family- his father, his girlfriend, Zuko, Chit Sang, and the tied up warden.

"Is this it?" Suki asked rhetorically. "All we worked for, and we're going to be roasted alive?"

Zuko looked sullen. "Maybe we can climb the lines," he offered. It didn't lighten the mood.

"We aren't all skilled as that one crazy girl," Chit Sang said glumly. He was referring to Azula, who had just jet-propelled herself to the gondola to fight them, and then back to dry land.

Zuko frowned even deeper, and muttered something about how Azula always lies. The gondola creaked.

Sokka looked around at the sorry group, just sitting in the metal contraption waiting to be scalded to death. He was too miserable to make a joke. Or make a plan. Or even insult Azula. He looked over at Azula, and he scowled at her smug expression. Could she really be pleased that everyone on this forsaken tin can would die in only a few minutes? Her golden eyes could cut the line by themselves. She had her arms folded, and she was smiling menacingly.

Ty Lee, the pink acrobat, stood by her side, lost in thought. She had her head in her hands and she looked to be on the edge of tears. She still remained by Azula's side, like a shadow. At least she looked remorseful.

And then there was Mai. She looked enraged, and she stood behind Azula. Mai was deathly pale, and her eyes were directed towards Azula. She stood in a half-ready position, like she was thinking about killing Azula in cold blood, without warning. Her hand reached for her knives, and-

The gondola plummeted.

* * *

Mai never got the chance to throw a knife. Ty Lee was a blur of fists and kicks, all the while babbling and crying. Azula was jabbed in all the key areas. She fell down to the ground, and Mai just gaped at the scene before her. Azula looked in serious pain, almost all of her chi paths blocked. She lay face down on the ground. The guards stood motionless.

"Azula," Ty Lee finally exclaimed, her tears dried and staining her clothes. Ty Lee's face was one of utter disgust. "Why would you _kill _your _brother_?"

Azula grunted in reply, her once grandeur clothes dirty from the volcanic soil. If she could talk, the thing Azula would have said would be, _Because what use does he have to me?_ Mai thought.

"Murder!" Ty Lee screeched. The guards still stood rigid. "You almost got away with murder! And that's all you want! All you want in life is to murder your family!" Ty Lee screamed emotionally. "Isn't it?" she said softly.

Azula looked shocked. Little Ty Lee, the one she could walk all over, was now screaming. And it looked like Azula didn't just shrug it off. Ty Lee's words looked as if they struck her deep in the heart. Azula grunted in reply. _Yes_, Mai thought. That's what Azula was trying to say.

"Why us?" Ty Lee asked, getting louder. "Why did you want us to go with you? On your murder-spree! Why did you want us?" She was now back to screaming again, but now she was in Azula's face.

Azula's jaw loosened a bit. "'Ecau' 'er 'y oi'y 'eh'," she replied.

"Because we're your only friends? Why is that, Azula? Would it be because maybe you thought I was too stupid to notice you were pulling the strings that controlled me the whole time? Because you could walk all over me and you thought I wouldn't _care_?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula looked ashamed. Her eyes were now watering up. For the first time ever, Mai was seeing Azula cry. Azula was desperately trying to hide it, Mai noticed. She looked like death now.

"You don't use friends for your personal gains, Azula," Ty Lee said. She was now quiet again, but with all of the same intensity. "And I won't take it, Azula. No more."

Mai and the prison guards were still as paralyzed as the Fire Nation Princess on the ground. Mai noted that Azula was moving her mouth again. Ty Lee kicked Azula in the stomach one more time, and stepped over her and walked away from the scene.

"Guards," Azula croaked. The former stone men launched fire blasts at Ty Lee, who simply walked on, the flames missing her. Two finally gained their senses and grabbed her from behind by the arms, dragging them back to Azula. She was still as frightening as she was before. Azula, her mouth now moving fine, stated, "Put her somewhere to die." Azula was now fully crying, but it didn't affect her speech. She was held up by two guards like Ty Lee, her feet and legs still chi-blocked.

"I'd rather be imprisoned than be in a world with people like you," Ty Lee spat.

Azula looked morose. "And I mean _die_." The guards carried her off to, presumably, a jail cell. Azula's eyes were puffy and red, and her tears ran down her face in streams. The salty taste of tears filled her mouth. The princess seemed to not notice. "And Mai," Azula stated. "Kill them all."

Mai looked at the gondola, now up to the other side of the caldera. The men had merely cut a single strand of the iron cable, dropping the gondola down lower but not all the way into the lake. Mai didn't want to. She didn't want to murder Zuko and the others. She could see them, as wide-eyed as she. They had obviously seen Ty Lee betray Azula. She didn't want to kill the innocent people. They had families just like she did. She didn't want to think about how Tom-Tom or her mother might feel if she died.

But she obeyed anyways. "Yes, Azula." Ty Lee's words truly stung right now.

She walked towards another gondola, to get to the top. She climbed on the rickety contraption, and waited for it to pull her to the other side. The wind pushed and pulled it, making creaking noises as it swayed. A messenger hawk flew in the window, perching on Mai's shoulder. She untied the note and read it:

_To Ty Lee:_

_The evil receive their punishments, and the obedient receive salvation._

_I am pleased that you are obedient._

The messenger hawk squawked and took wing back to the east, from where it came.

* * *

**Hi. My first serious story! Yay!**

**So yeah, this will be a Maiko story, with some Mao. I just love Mao. There will be violence. And bloodshed. And maybe character death, I'm not sure yet. It's a Tragedy story, but its not all depressing-like. Hopefully.**

**And on a totally unrelated note, somewhere in the story a person wears curtains. You have been warned.**

**Oh, and Spry beta'd the next chapter, which I'm not posting until tomorrow, 'cause, you know, it's supposed to be posted then. I just felt like giving everyone a heads up, because when Spry betas it tends to be hilarious. So yeah. It's a tragedy story, but it has curtains and Spry.**

**It may be more funny than I thought.**

**I'm going to do this every chapter-**

**Chapter Title- Leaves from the Vine**

**Title Meaning- Correspondence (Think 'I Heard It On the Grapevine')**

**Title Significance- It's the first line of 'Leaves from the Vine', of course!**

**Also, this was beta'd by the illustrious Forever Fyre! May she have much cereal!**

**Note that I have no idea what illustrious means (I may have just insulted you), and we ran out of cereal months ago.**

**And this was inspired by her. Inspired-By-Fyre!**

**So if you like it, leave a good review!**

**And if you hate it, leave a bad review!**

**And if you read it…just review…**


	2. Falling So Slow

She took in everything around her- the salty air, the blinding sunset, the never-ending ocean- and it was so much better than the hissing cauldron her uncle owned to imprison the fools that defied Ozai. Mai looked down distastefully at the steep, gravelly hill dotted by sparse brush and saw Zuko and his friends climbing into Azula's airship. She stepped out of the stone gondola station, now inhabited by two of the creaky contraptions. She eyed them cautiously, deciding how to pinpoint her knives where, at what angle, and at whom she would throw them. Then there was wind factor, and, of curse, the chance of missing.

Under normal circumstances Mai would never miss a target. But her hands were jittery, and her brain felt like it was going to implode. She felt like sitting down and crying, but she knew that was something she'd never get around to doing. Under normal circumstances she'd have Ty Lee by her side to brighten things up.

Mai stopped as the thought crossed her mind. It pinned her down to the ground like one of her sleek, sharp knives. She slumped on the ground, suddenly recalling everything that had just happened in the past minute- Ty Lee betraying Azula, and her rant, and the violence, and how Mai was just about to do what Ty Lee had told Azula was wrong- murder. There was no denying it. She couldn't think of a time when it had even crossed her mind before; what would happen after she pinned someone by their clothes to a wall- It'd take only two knives to end a life for good. One in the head. One in the heart. And afterward, Mai thought, it'd take two more to end the guilt it would've brought.

She had to stand up to Azula. Not now, another time. But the current issue still lingered above Mai's frowning head- she was sent specifically to kill them.

"Kill all of them." She had said. Mai frowned some more, trying to think of a valid excuse for the lack of dead Zuko or Sokka. But could she even think of a valid excuse for leaving Azula? No. Azula reigned in Mai's life, nowadays. And, as much as it hurt, she couldn't imagine life without being manipulated and forced to do evil things 'in the name of the Fire Nation.' Because it was already like that with her mother. And she couldn't go back to her, back to Omashu, even if they did have pretty good Fyre Flakes.

Mai decided she'd just leave. No forewarning. But first she'd have to catch the airship.

* * *

Zuko saw the dust cloud before he saw Mai. They were all in the airship now, with Sokka at the controls and Suki as co-pilot. The board before them was sprinkled with levers and buttons and little things that went 'bing'. Sokka seemed to know what he was doing, as he pulled levers and jabbed buttons intelligently. He only looked up when Hakoda brought up the oncoming girl.

"Who is _that_?" The Water Tribe Chieftan demanded.

"Mai," Zuko whispered softly. She was still mad at him, indefinitely- just glancing at her face was proof enough of that- so this most likely wouldn't be a happy reunion.

"We have to go," Sokka said seriously. He pushed some more buttons.

"Wait," Zuko said, "I need to talk to her." Zuko walked over to a side door, his boots clanging on the metal floor. He expected to be speared the moment he stepped outside the airship. He pulled in his breath, ran a hand through his hair, and hoped to live. He opened it, only to be greeted by a frowning Mai twirling a knife in her hand.

He took a few hasty steps forward. "Mai, I-"

Mai slapped him.

Zuko flinched momentarily, but then looked ashamedly down at his feet. "I deserved that." He admitted.

Mai slapped him again.

He looked up at her again, frowning and rubbing the stinging new pink handprint on his face. "I'm not so sure about that one."

"You did." Mai assured him, "Talk. Now." She commanded. She pulled him out of the doorway and into the subtle evening light. The sun had almost set, leaving a pinkish glow in the sky, and the sparse wispy clouds an ugly orange hue. "Ty Lee's been put in jail-"

"I know," Zuko interjected. He couldn't see how anyone could _not _see the scene she had caused.

"Don't interrupt," she commanded. "She's been put in jail for attacking Azula," she explained furthermore, "But I don't think it was her fault."

Zuko sighed. "Of course it wasn't her fault. Azula's just evil, and she snapped. And the sooner you learn Azula's evil you-"

"I know Azula's a bad person." Mai deadpanned. She looked irked. "Which is why I'm telling _you_ this, not her."

Zuko had to resist replying with, 'Now who's interrupting?' but that wouldn't help the situation. At least, it would probably earn him another slapping. "Tell me what?" Zuko asked.

"Someone told her to do it," Mai explained. She handed him a slip of paper. "I received this by accident. It came by messenger hawk."

Zuko read it. He scrunched up his eyebrows while reading, and narrowed his eyes. The light was fleeting from the sky; Zuko could barely read the scrawled, elegant writing. "So…"

"See? She was _obedient_." Mai pointed out. "Someone gave her instructions, and they're betting on her to stir up Azula. That's the only reason they'd ask her to paralyze her and scream in her face." Mai finished, as if reading off a script, her face an emotionless mask. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms crossed.

"But who would-?" Zuko began.

"I don't know." Mai admitted, looking shamefully to the side.

Zuko placed a finger under her chin and turned her face upward so he could look her in the eyes. She looked coldly back into his. He decided at that moment he couldn't- no, wouldn't leave Mai behind. She had no allies now. "Come with us," He suggested.

"Gee, thanks, but I'd rather stay," Mai replied, her tone telling him everything- that she wanted to go, that she was scared, that she _really_ didn't want to stay here where everything fell down.

"It wasn't a question." Zuko stated.

Mai looked Zuko up and down, thinking. "Maybe. But you better not be…"

Zuko smiled at her change of heart. "Boring?" He guessed from his memory of her.

Mai smirked a bit, the closest to a smile she'd ever come to. "Yeah."

"No," Zuko replied. "We're pretty exciting. Here, I'll introduce you." Zuko opened the door for her, lead her up the stairs (all the while Mai protesting that she could climb stairs on her own) and into the main control room.

Sokka stood shocked, Suki glowered, and Hakoda and Chit Sang looked confused.

"We should probably leave," Mai smirked. "Azula ordered me to kill you all, and I'd rather not follow through."

Sokka scowled irritably. "Well, _that's _a relief!"

**Is listening to Sexyback. Don't ask.**

**Okay, this was beta'd by the ambiguous Spry! (Again, look it up. I still have no idea what these big words mean!)**

**Okay. Thank you Fyre and Spry for being my first two reviewers for this story. Now have a monkey.**

**Anywho. This took forever because I had too much homework and water polo practice.**

**As promised:**

**Chapter Title: Falling So Slow**

**Title Meaning: Like how Mai's word is crumbling apart lol. Or how Azula's reign has ended 'cause she has no friends anymore. Aw.**

**Title Significance: Second line of 'Leaves From the Vine', song sung on Iroh's dead son's birthday.**

**And Spry? Fifth chapter, there are curtains. And Fyre? There are five ****directions. And Melody? Mao is just fattening. (MaiXTeo)**


	3. Like Fragile Tiny Shells

Mai wasn't sure what she felt when she was with Zuko. She couldn't call it love, she'd experienced that once before and this wasn't it. It wasn't hate, she knew how that felt. She knew there were other ways to feel about someone besides loving or hating them, but that was how Mai worked- she'd take a glance, and she'd decide if she liked you or didn't. Most people she didn't like. But there was something else she was feeling now. She was determined to find out what.

Sokka had parked the gargantuan airship above the temple, where Mai was now. She was sure that it would draw attention to the presence of Aang and Zuko, but there was nowhere else to put it. But that wasn't the biggest concern right now. She sat brooding at the stone fountain in the main square. Everyone else had supposedly gone to a different room to have a conference on what to do with her. Mai could care less whether she stayed or went.

Suki held the firm belief that Mai was here to assassinate them all. Zuko, of course, believed that she was on their side now. Katara, still not trusting Zuko, thought that the more of the fugitives they took in, the larger chance of their being overwhelmed. Or caught. Or killed. Aang believed in second chances. Sokka was unsure. Toph was with Aang. Everyone else didn't really have a say in anything, as far as Mai had observed. Though Teo really seemed to want to 'keep her,' as he put it.

But Mai couldn't think about that. She really didn't care. All she could think of was what she was feeling towards Zuko now. Zuko wasn't like her little brother now. Zuko wasn't her mom. Zuko didn't feel like her father, either. Zuko wasn't Azula. She definitely knew he wasn't Azula. Mai tried to sort out her feelings some more. She knew one thing- she neither hated Zuko, nor loved him. That cold, hard feeling of hate was gone like Ty Lee or the messenger hawk.

"Do you ever get that feeling that we're really, _really_ small?" The voice jolted her to reality. She looked up slowly to find Teo. He looked at her inquisitively.

"No," Mai deadpanned.

He smiled, nervously now. "Oh," he said. "Well I do. When I fly."

Mai looked at the handicapped boy strangely. There was now way he could fly. She rolled her eyes. It was obviously just a joke, or something. "Uh-huh," she replied.

"Do you doubt me?" He said, cheerily this time. "I'll show you," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Mai deadpanned again.

Teo grinned, and wheeled himself right off the cliff. Mai jumped up, startled, and walked slowly to the edge. She peered over to see the boy whooping in delight and soaring on fabric wings that Mai were sure weren't there before. He whooshed up the side of the hanging temple and swirled around to face Mai, and flew straight at her. She was too shocked to move, but her swerved to the right and met ground, skidding to a screeching halt.

He grinned. "Impressed?" he asked.

Mai tried really hard to say no and look passive, but she nodded against her will.

"I like you," he said. "You're pretty cool."

Mai returned to her stoical state. She still could not possible find an answer or response to what Teo just said. Luckily, he didn't need one.

"Well, good to be friends!" And with that, Teo sped off in another direction.

Friends. That was the word Mai was looking for. Zuko was a friend now. He wasn't her boyfriend anymore, and he wasn't her enemy. Zuko was a friend now. And if Mai got to stay, they would all be friends. That was kind of a disturbing thought, now that she thought of it. Suki, Katara, Sokka, Toph, they all would have to be her friends now. Mai wasn't one for making friends.

"Mai?" Zuko said. He walked down a hallway into the courtyard where Mai was, his feet resounding upon the stone tiles.

Mai looked up to see his overjoyed expression. He smiled his one-corner smile that Mai used to love. She stood up and faced him.

"They said you can stay with us!" he said in his low voice.

Mai nodded. "Should I go in?" Zuko nodded, still smiling. Mai walked past him wordlessly into the next room, the dramatic views and architecture not fazing or impressing her in the slightest. She strolled in the room, passively noticing the serious faces observing her from every direction.

"Mai, you can stay with us," Katara said as soon as Mai had stood in the center of the room, facing everyone. "As long as you do what we tell you, when we tell you, and _exactly _what we say."

Mai nodded solemnly. She could follow directions.

"And no funny business," Suki added with a frown.

"And I'd enjoy it if you weren't so grumpy," Sokka added by her side.

"How good are you at gambling?" Toph asked.

"That's beside the point!" Katara exclaimed.

Mai chuckled softly. "Sure," she said. "I can gamble." Toph grinned.

"Just remember," Aang added, "There's no turning back."

There's no turning back. Mai thought this was the most profound statement she'd heard all day; fitting from the Avatar. She nodded again.

"Well, that just about settles it," Katara, self-appointed leader, concluded.

They exited the room silently. At once, she noticed the slowly rising sun for the first time that day. It illuminated the temple gloriously. Suddenly, lost in the yellows and oranges of the new sky, she realized what Teo was talking about- she felt indescribably small. Tiny. Breakable. Fragile. And that's when she noticed in the horizon a large, growing black oval.

From what she could make out, it was an airship.

An imperial airship.

Headed this way.

And on that airship, Azula sat, poised to strike her down for leaving her. Mai couldn't believe how foolish she'd been. Of _course _she'd follow her.

So Mai could say one thing in that particular situation.

"Run."

**Oh no. What now.**

**And at last I see the light...And it's like the fog has lifted...**

**Anyways. Thank Fyre, Spry, And Melody Sparrow too for a good review!**

**And this chapter was not beta'd! But it is dedicated to the octothorpic Melody Sparrow for reviewing, and last chapter I forgot to mention her! So give her a hand, ****folks! Or at least a finger!**

**ANYWAYS.**

**Chapter Title: Like Fragile Tiny Shells**

**Title Meaning: Mai and Teo said something like this. Indescribably small?**

**Title Significance: I'm discontinuing this...It's pointless...**

**AHEM. Should I do a fic with more than ten chapters, or would you get mad at me for not updating quick enough? Please leave feedback!  
**

**I forgot to add these things last time. One; review or I will throw legos at you. Two; I do not own ATLA, otherwise there would be cats, and sugar, and psychedelic stuff, and a magical floating jar of mayonnaise. And there would be Foamzula, and Iroh would be trolling in the corner the whole show. 'Cause he's Iroh.**

**Legos, I tell you. LEGOS.**


	4. Drifting in the Foam

Azula groaned audibly. She'd had enough of the guilt that was eating her from the insides, like a ravaging monster. She had to get things done. _Now. _Now, while she still could.

Azula knew that this was all her fault.

Azula knew that without her, Ba Sing Se would be running without a hitch.

Azula knew that without her, her uncle would not be in jail right now.

Azula knew that she was a traitor to her own country, to her own family, to her friends- everything she'd done to _help _the _liberation _of the four nations was really lying, cheating, backstabbing.

Azula knew that without her, innocent people would be free.

Azula knew she was a murderer.

And she was going to murder again.

As she neared the grandeur temple, still unsure with what she was about to do, she sighed.

Azula knew that she had picked the right side after all.

Azula just didn't know how this would turn out.

* * *

Momo screamed, ducked, dived for cover. Aang stood resolute. Katara stood poised. Toph twirled some gravel in her fingers. Sokka held boomerang closely. Suki stared down the opponent. Zuko got in the traditional fire-bending stance. Teo, Haru, the Duke, Chit Sang, and Hakoda guarded their various belongings. Teo mouthed 'Good luck,' to Mai, who stood somewhere in the line of poised warriors.

They had anticipated this.

They knew one day, they would be found. One day Azula would come. And they were ready. They had drilled the procedure in their minds.

The airship inched closer, closer, closer still. It loomed at them, and then they realized how hard this could be. And then the airship stopped. The revolutionaries stopped breathing for a moment, and no noises were made for seemingly miles around. A creak resounded through the thick air, and a girl sprang out of the top hatch. She grinned maniacally, albeit waveringly, and stood proudly on top of the gargantuan mass to match the gang's own stolen ship.

But Azula wasn't poised. She wasn't ready. She just stood there, grinning. And then Mai knew something was amiss. And so she thought, _It's a trap. It must be,_ and stood up taller.

"Something's wrong," Mai said groggily. "She isn't firing."

"Then we'll fire first," Katara stated.

"No," Aang said, standing up taller. "She's right. They want us to fire at them."

Slowly, the warriors straightened their backs and warily watched as the airship turned to its side slowly, and Azula slid down the side.

Katara tensed. "She's coming over," she said unsurely.

Zuko added, "But she won't attack without our knowing. Fire-bending and making lightning both require certain stances, and she isn't in any of them." Azula jumped, flipped and landed mere feet in front of them.

"So Mai," Azula asked nonchalantly, as everyone backed up. "Why?"

Mai smirked half-heartedly. "Because Ty Lee is right." Mai twirled a knife in her hand. "You are a cold-blooded murderer." Azula's face showed some unknown emotion, but only for a split second before she covered it with a smirk.

"Of course she's right," Azula grinned. "And I have come to terms with the fact that I am a terrible person." Azula shrugged.

"You heartless monster!" Katara cried.

"If you say so," Azula said. "Now, I need to talk to Mai. In private," she added.

"Where to?" Mai drawled.

* * *

Mia was brought back on the airship. The early morning sun illuminated the ancient temple, showing the splendor of a sunrise perfectly. Mai glared down at the tea in front of her. By now it had gone cold, Mai not caring much for tea. She wished she could leave. Azula had only stared and sipped imported hot beverage the entire time. Unfortunately, she couldn't leave even if she tried, because two guards were at the door.

Azula finally spoke.  
"Li, Sazo, the are is under control. You are dismissed." The two guards, in proper Fire Nation uniform, left wordlessly.

Mai sighed. Here came the awkward part. Azula had questions.

"I've chosen a side, and you've chosen yours," Aula started, sipping her tea intermittently.

"Mm-hmm." Mai mumbled.

"Yes, well, I've decided to choose my own side in this war." Azula added. "I'm doing whatever I want now. I'm not helping any sides, but-" she stopped, sipping tea once again. "-I'm currently favoring the better side to win the war. And I _might _help. In a way. I have information." Mai nodded, absorbing the information. "As long as I'm free at the end. And you will secure my freedom."

Mai took in everything. The girl in front of her was still a bad person, yes; she still hadn't forgiven her. But now she had gone rogue. Azula wasn't following orders. This was something new to Mai. And Azula was willing to help the _good _side, she'd said- the side including her traitor ex-friend and brother, as well as Public Enemy #1, as the Fire Nation put it. So this was a changed Azula.

"And first, to show that I can do things on my own," Azula concluded, "We are going to find Ty Lee and I will beg for forgiveness." Mai couldn't imagine Azula begging at all. This Azula must be _extremely _changed.

But did she say _we_…? "What do you mean?" Mai questioned doubtfully.

"Look outside," Azula smirked.

Mai looked out the window, only to see that the temple was out of sight and realize this was all an elaborate trick. "Where are you taking me?" Mai demanded.

"I wasn't lying when I said any of that. Now, you're going to help me win Ty Lee back over again." Mai paled considerably.

"You kidnapped me!" she screeched.

Azula looked down, whether genuinely shameful or not, Mai couldn't tell. "It had to be done," she finalized. And with that, Li and Sazo opened the door, Azula exited, and Mai was locked in.

All of a sudden, a metallic thud was heard, a hinge creaked, some surprised yells were exclaimed, and Teo was thrown in the room sans wheelchair.

"Hi, Mai," he said bashfully. "Am I too late?"

* * *

"Tazu, was the letter sent?" the mysterious man asked. He sat at his desk in the dark room, the boat swaying to and fro from rising storms and swift seas.

The ravenette nodded solemnly. "The two received it, and it was passed along to the girl."

"Good." The mysterious man added. He turned around in his chair.

"Also, we recruited the subject," Tazu added. She's here, let me just- Oh, come on in, sweetie." Tazu, in a sickeningly sweet voice, welcomed in the 'subject,' a smiling girl in an all-pink outfit. She smiled and bowed.

"Thank you for my release," she babbled. "I really didn't like jail!"

"Well, miss, the obedient are rewarded for their actions." Mystery man said.

She nodded. "So, should I leave, or-"

"Not so fast," the dark skinned woman, Tazu, said. "He has further instructions."

Ty Lee grimaced, even visible in the dark lighting. "It isn't hard," he said softly. "Just do what I say and it all will be over."

Ty Lee gulped. "Whatever you say, Master."

**:0 Ty Lee is working for the man!**

**Anyways. Thank you to my two faithful reviewers, Spry and Melody Sparrow! You are both ostentatious. Whatever that ****means. (Notice I am enjoying calling you things I don't know)**

**Anyways. I might start on the final chapters TONIGHT! Maybe. I still haven't finished them.**

**Also, read Fyre's story. Just because. And because we now have a little bet going. And I WILL WIN.**

**Read Spry's story too. It's funny. **

**Also, read Melody Sparrow's profile page, just because good things come in threes. So go read things!**

**Chapter Title: Drifting in the Foam**

**Title Meaning: Ty Lee, Tazu, and MM are on a boat. Drifting aimlessly, pretty much. There's some backstory there that I won't get into.**

**It _is _drifting in the foam, right?**

**This is an IBF!Fic (Inspired By Fyre). Fyre's Guide To Creativity is a fic about creativity (Well, duh) and ideas for stories. All my past stories have been IBF! Fics, which means that there are enough ideas for me to write five stories, which means that there are enough ideas for you to write ten. Just a little advertisement. :)**

**And I don't own ATLA, otherwise Sokka would've had his own version of 'Fergalicious'. It'd be called 'Sokkalicious'.**

**And answer this question, before I go back to non-writing mode- publish my story and live with slow updates, or just live without story? PLEASE leave an answer.**

**And now I realize I am a terrible person, 'cause my Author's note is longer than my story. But I like to talk too much. So what.**

**PUSH THE BUTTON. PUUUUUSH IIIIT.**


	5. Little Soldier Boy

After Mai had got Teo into a chair, she had him tell the story of how he got onto the airship.

Teo sat in a strange position, his back quarter-turned to Mai and his head towards the back of the gaudy chair. "Well, we all saw the airship turning away, and everyone else thought you had gone back to Azula," Teo started, and Mai frowned. "Except Zuko, who figured she had killed you, and he wanted everyone to go after her, but Katara said that you were gone for good." Mai waited for the next part of the story, just how he appeared on the roof of the airship, but he looked distressed. "Anyways," he started again, "I decided to chase down the airship when no one was looking, and so I flew over here on my glider, and was above the airship, but-" Teo winced and looked down at the floor.

"And?" Mai asked.

"It caught on the wind, and- and I fell off…" Teo smiled weakly, showing Mai the side he had landed on, tattered clothes and scratches, but by the way he was holding it, there was some internal damage as well.

"I'll ask for some medical supplies," Mai said. What she really needed right now was a healer. They had some healers back in the Fire Nation, but she heard that the water-benders were much better than they. Mai just hoped she was good enough to play doctor. She strolled over to the door, gliding over the floor gracefully. She needed to focus, to not panic. She was in a room with someone who could _die_. She could be the reason he died. Or, if she was being optimistic, he could just have a few broken ribs, but Mai still lingered on the dark thought.

"M-Mai, I'm fine!" Teo exclaimed. But she ignored him and pounded on the door. The guards, who she recognized as Li and Sazo, glared at her through the slot they had opened.

"You aren't getting out," Li- it was probably Li, they were identical- said.

"I don't want to leave," Mai seethed. "Actually, I _would _like to leave, but this kid you shoved in here with me is badly hurt."

Sazo looked over to Li, and Li looked behind him at something Mai couldn't see. They slid the door cover over the slit and whispered something behind it. She leaned up against it to hear.

"…Could be lying…"

"….Fell pretty hard…"

"But why….he shouldn't be here…Not in Master's…"

"…But we…the letter…Princess Azula…"

Mai's blood ran cold. She backed away from the door. They were the people that sent Ty Lee the note. The note that started a one-girl revolution against a dynasty, and it only took another note, she assumed, to get Azula to go rogue against everyone. It only took two notes to catch the world on fire. Mai wouldn't rely on anything they said. She walked away from the conspirators and decided it'd be easier to lay Teo on his side and wrap him in curtains. She tore down the silk, blood-red drapes that held the morning sun out of the room and dressed his wound with them. He looked strange; he was sitting at an odd angle with curtains around his waist and midsection, but he was still smiling, although breathing heavily.

"The healer will come soon."

And that was all.

Mai decided to use the time waiting for the healer to look for an escape. She had scoured the room; under the bookshelves, behind the paintings, underneath rugs- but she soon realized that Azula had locked them in there for a reason. She needed to escape from the two guards outside her door. It was obviously a trap. Both letters inspired someone to rebel, she noted. Both letters inspired someone to go against the Fire Nation. The letters sent Ty Lee to jail and Azula there, too, though not imprisoned. There was a plan for the two. There was, quite possibly, a plan for her, too. For all she knew Sazo and Li had told Azula in the letter that Mai was to come with her. In fact, Mai would've betted on it. But she wasn't going to stand around, waiting for the trap.

She decided the best way to escape would be to jump. One chair into one window would result in potential suicide, yes, but it was also potential freedom.

But she glanced at Teo. He was pale, his teeth chattering, and his eyes were squinted shut. He was still smiling, though. But the curtains were soaked in blood. Mai cursed herself for not noticing. She'd spent all this time sitting in a room with a dying boy while trying to get out. But he was still breathing, Mai saw his chest moving jerkily, but steady.

She removed the impromptu bandage, only to frown at what she saw- what were formerly just cuts and scrapes were opened wider, bleeding profusely. She decided she'd hurry and tear down more curtains. With a rip, the curtains, bedecked with the Fire Nation insignia, fell to the floor, fluttering like it was alive. Mai grabbed it and wrapped it once more around Teo's abdomen.

The door creaked, and opened slowly. A stout woman in burgundy robes entered, her hair frazzled and white. She held a cane, but still carried a limp.

"Are you the healer?" Mai asked, unimpressed.

The crone smacked her on the head with the cane, creaking, "Shush! You'll wake the boy up!"

Mai nodded and sat down on a nearby plush chair. The lady checked this and that, felt his forehead, looked in his mouth, and gave him some tea and left.

Mai stared at the empty teacup. _Well, that was _stupid_,_ she thought. Only tea, nothing else?

And that's when the door opened once more and Azula strolled in. She shut the door behind her, and the door was locked with a loud clang.

"Mai?" Azula said, eyes staring straight into hers. "The crew shoved me in here. It's a trap."

"I know," Mai yawned. "It was always a trap." Azula stared dumbfounded at her. "And Ty Lee was a pawn. And so were you. Got a letter? Said you should find Ty Lee?" Azula nodded slowly.

"I got a letter. But it only stated- wait, hold on…" She dug in her pockets-something Mai didn't know she had- and took out a wrinkled piece of parchment. She slid it down for Mai.

_Dear Azula,_

_Is it right to take instructions with talents such as yours?_

_Is it right for you to take directions, while you have your own map?_

_Is it right for someone unworthy to be in charge?_

_For years you have said _Yes, father_, and _No, Father,_ but why can't you do what you want? Why can't you be your own person?_

_And who's standing in the way?_

_The only person standing in the way of you is you._

_So take flight, princess._

_Just remember:_

_The evil receive their punishments, and the obedient receive salvation._

Mai froze. The last statement was in Ty Lee's letter as well. And that's when she saw a flying bison outside the window formerly graced by drapes. A thud was heard and the ceiling was peeled away, as Toph, Aang, Katara, and Suki all jumped in the room. Momo flew in after.

"Where's Teo?" Katara snarled.

**CURTAINS.**

**I would like to thank my duplicitous reviewers for giving me my FIRST EVER REAL CRITICISM. At least I think so. And anyways, I hope you enjoyed, or something.**

**And if you were wondering where Zuko was (you probably weren't, but...well...) he is at the temple with Haru and The Duke. And Teo's wheelchair was blown away, Spry, so yeah. And he's bleeding. :0**

**I'd like to add that the fic that will (hopefully) be up by Friday will be a Humor fic, and it is my first non-IBF! Fic. I feel independent. :D**

**Ahem. I don't own ATLA, or these ideas. I also don't own Justin Bieber, but I don't want to.**

**NOW REVIEW. BECAUSE I COMMAND YOU.**

**AND CRITICIZE. BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO.**


	6. Brave Soldier Boy

They were on their way back to the temple now. They glided over the flat waters for what seemed like hours, the tension in the air so thick that you could touch it.

Mai wished she could punch it.

Azula had locked her in a room with Teo, bleeding. Azula knew Mai would feel responsible if he died. She wouldn't be able to bear it. Life on her hands would hang around her like thick, black smoke.

But really, who has peace talks and then locks them their parlor? Mai was incredibly angered at her, so she scowled as hard as she could.

But Azula was too busy sulking and watching Katara, her forehead wet with sweat and head pinched from concentration, healing Teo while he grimaced from the pain and smiled from the good feeling it made.

"Yeah, I know, it kind of tickles," Aang laughed. "It takes some getting used to."

Teo nodded slowly. "Yeah, it does," he replied.

"Hey, Katara," Sokka asked. "Would Spirit Oasis water work on, well, you know…" Sokka gestured intimately to his legs. Katara looked up.

"Well, I don't know. I only ever used it on Aang." She replied. She went back to her work, before jerking her head up suddenly. "Sokka, who's driving?" she said frantically.

"I let Toph!" he said cheerily.

"Uh, Sokka…" Suki said from the side of him. "There are many problems with that statement."

Toph looked up from his other side. "What'd I do?"

Sokka gulped and ran back to the reins of Appa, who made a little rumbling noise in response. "Who's that?" He said, referring to the wooden boat parked at the shore of the land they were crossing over.

"It's no one, Sokka," Suki said. "Just some Earth villagers on a fishing boat taking a break, or something."

"That isn't a fishing boat," Sokka pointed out. "It's like the ferries to Ba Sing Se. And I think those people are in trouble," he noted.

Aang frowned. "We'll help, and you go back with Teo." He told Katara.

"No, I'm fine now," Teo said seriously. "Let Katara help." Aang nodded and Katara smiled.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Through all this, Mai remained quiet, her head looking back to where they came from. She was searching for the airship, scouring the sky. She was looking for Sazo and Li. They knew about Ty Lee. They were master puppeteers. Someone who could manipulate Azula would have to be skilled. It would have to be like they knew her.

Appa dove down to the boat, where a woman lay crumpled up on the ground. As Appa landed on the sand, Mai noticed she was very pretty. And that's when she saw a quick blur of pink, and Aang was down. Then Sokka. Then Katara, and Suki, and Toph. Soon, Azula was on the ground, a bit more rough than the rest, propelled forward some. Mai was saved for last, her opponent breathing heavily, her hands on her knees, panting like a dog.

"Ty Lee!" Azula said, her inner emotion shining outward for once. "I-I was looking for you!"

"To use me again?" she snapped. Mai was shocked. Ty Lee was worse than last time, if possible. She was changed. She was more aggressive. This was like at the Boiling Rock, when time stood motionless, Azula was on the ground, Ty Lee's outburst, Mai being glued to the ground…

"No! To apologize!" Azula insisted.

"Liar!" Ty Lee screamed. "He told me everything! You're a traitor to…You're a traitor to everyone! Even yourself!"

"I know!" Azula sobbed, the rest of Team Avatar forced to watch an argument between Azula, in a crumpled heap, arguing with Ty Lee.

"No! You don't! You don't know! You're here to take me back as captive to be your stupid little porcelain doll! And I won't leave! He told me all about you! He told me you were a monster from the start!" She screamed.

"M…Monster…?" Azula said, her eyes watering, her jaw jutting out. "I m-may be a b-bad person, but I'm n-no monster." She said quietly.

"Monster!" Ty Lee screamed, kicking sand on the princess. "Monster!" Her foot got closer to Azula. "MONSTER!" she screamed, finally making contact, sending Azula rolling a ways away.

And that's when the glue dissolved, and Mai set into action. She sent a knife to her right arm, pinning it to the boat. She sent a knife to her left arm, pinning it as well. Ty Lee was stunned. It took two more knives to pin her already limp feet. She pulled out two more knives, ready to aim at her, but stopped dead in her tracks. She wasn't about to do what she thought she was. Ty Lee gaped at her. "B-But Mai...But you were going to come with us…" Ty Lee said softly.

"No. I don't want to. I would never. She was genuinely sorry," she stated, referring to the crumpled, bedraggled Azula breathing heavily a couple feet away.

"But Mai-"

"No." she said quietly. "You're the monster." Ty Lee stopped breathing for a moment. "And I blame them."

"Them?" a voice said from the boat. "Sazo and Li don't write the letters." He said. He walked out into the light, revealing a middle-aged man with sideburns. He was dressed plainly. He was tall, powerful, yet Mai had the feeling he was old and wise.

"You're-"

"Hush. Now, either sit down and incapacitate yourself somehow, or get hurt, Badly hurt." She did as was told, and sat down by a tree, where he tied her up with rope. "Why the ugly face? Just trying to do good business," he said.

Next to her, he sat up Azula, breathing heavily still, Aang, Suki, Sokka, Katara, Teo, the woman, Toph, and the sobbing Ty Lee, who he tied up with rope like Mai.

Mai noticed the woman looked half asleep, her dark hair matted against her tan face with vacant gray eyes. A puddle of drool sat in her lap. "You…You tricked…me…" she wheezed. "You…U-used…me…"

"Shut up, Tazu," the man snarled. He then addressed the crowd of paralytics before him. "Let me start this off with this interesting fact-" he started, grinning like a madman and taking everyone's shocked, confused, or betrayed faces.

"I am Lu Ten, and I have fooled you all."

**BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT THAT.**

**Haha. Yup. Mystery Man is Lu Ten (0.o) and not a duck. Or Amon. Yeah, Fyre, you fail.**

**Anyways. Updating now instead of at night, which is unusual. Yeah. **

**And...We are one chapter away from the finale! :0 And this is so far my longest ****fic, because I fail at updating!**

**Thank you to my REVIEWER, Spry and Melody Sparrow. :( I kid, I kid. But I expected a Spry review, because they are awesome! **

**And I forgot the interpretation last time. :O**

**Chapter Title(s): Little Soldier Boy, Brave Soldier Boy**

**Title Meaning: Teo is a little soldier boy, and Lu Ten is the original soldier boy**

**MAOFTW.**

**Anyways. I do not own ATLA, otherwise there would be magical pudding cats licking the earth! And REVIEW, otherwise the magical pudding cats will lick YOU! So REVIEW! Or get the FLU! I'm looking at YOU! Toodle-LOO!**


	7. Comes Marching Home

Mai watched as her daughter giggled playfully in the snow. Ever since they had entered the Northern Air Temple, Lao spent all of her days running around in the new place. She first saw snow that day when they arrived, Mai remembered.

Lao tripped and face-planted into the snow, but she recovered. She was quite upset when she realized she had lost her new doll.

"I'll get it," Teo said, grinning. That confident, optimistic grin drove her wild.

Mai was holding her young one, Zuko, close to her. He could talk and walk, but he still liked to be close to his mother. Teo came back with Lao, holding her hand. He knelt down and gave her the doll, which she happily reclaimed. Mai shivered.

"Come in for some tea when you're done," Mai said. She walked back into their cozy home and into the kitchen, seating Zuko down in an empty chair. She dug through the cabinets, searching for the tea, before she realized there was one cupboard left. She opened the wooden cabinet open by the handles, and a piece of crinkled parchment fluttered down. She gingerly picked it up.

_Leaves from the vine,_

_Falling so slow_

_Ike fragile tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam._

_Little soldier boy_

_Comes marching home_

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home._

She dropped it, gasped, and walked away like it was about to bite her.

She could remember it like it was yesterday…

_Zuko was sprawled on the ground, his hand over his heart; his eyes open but clearly devoid of life. There was a large singed mark on his chest, and the clothes he wore there were tattered and burned. _

_Mai was next to him, head buried in his bleeding, cold chest. She was crying. She was crying for what felt like the first time in her life. Zuko was gone forever. There was no hope now._

_And behind Zuko and Mai, looking horrified, was Lu Ten. He wore a shocked expression, and he was in a poised position, as if to run, but he was stopped cold._

_Teo was sitting against a tree, his eyes squinted shut. Ty Lee was racking with sobs. Azula looked like she wasn't breathing. Nobody did. Zuko was dead now._

_And Lu Ten stopped breathing, too. HE stopped everything. And then, the unexpected happened- he started to sing. "Leaves…from the vine…" His words were broken, his voice hoarse. "Falling…Falling so slow…" His eyes were watering up._

"_You MONSTER!" Ty Lee screamed. "You're a… You're a…YOU MANIAC!" She was still sobbing. She was screaming and writhing._

"_Like fragile…Fragile tiny…tiny…"_

"_Shells, drifting in the foam…" Mai finished. _

"_Little soldier boy, comes marching home," they chorused, Mai's voice light and Lu Ten's deep and scratchy, both somber and sad. _

"_Brave soldier boy, come marching-" The song was cut off when Mai grabbed one of her knives and pinned Lu Ten to a tree behind him. _

"_Wha- But…" Lu Ten stammered._

"_Don't. Stop. You destroyed everything." Mai deadpanned. "And now…you're going to die like he did, just a lot more painful and a lot more slow."_

"_You wouldn't." Lu Ten grinned. "You can't." HE laughed slowly, his mind devoid of any sanity at this point._

"_I will."_

"_You can't kill me!" he laughed. "I'm INVINCIBLE!" He laughed harder. "I spent- HAHA! I spent forever, trying to kill my uncle! And the rest of the Fire Nation! AND THE WORLD! AND I'LL SUCEED! I HAVE TO WIN! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!" He screamed at the top of his voice. HE was laughing like a madman now._

_"Watch me." And with that, Mai took out a knife and cut a long deep gash on his cheek, from his forehead all the way through his eye. He laughed. _

"_It won't work!" he laughed._

_Mai cut deeper gashes on his chest this time, with speedy precise slashes. He was pouring blood now._

"_NO! I WILL WIN!" Lu Ten jostled so much that the knives fell out, and he dragged his weary, bloody, insane body to another place where he would be more welcome. But no one would want him._

**-COMES MARCHING HOME-**

"Let me tell you a little story," Lu Ten grinned. "There once was a boy who wanted to serve his country by going to war."

"You're crazy!" Toph screamed.

"Quiet," he snapped. "Now. I wanted to go to war. Duty. Honor. All that stuff. Well, my power-hungry uncle used that as a chance to kill me off. He paid someone to get rid of me in _any ways possible_." Lu Ten drawled. "So they decided to put me in the front lines. I, being a naïve little Fire Nation drone, went with it. And then when they didn't kill me, they lied to Ozai out of fear instead, instead of just doing it themselves. Cowards." He then proceeded to roll his eyes. "So they put me in a box and set me out to sea, to where I could never come back to the Fire Nation. Except I did, Ozai killed the cowards, and tried to kill me next, but I fled. And everywhere I went, they knew me either as Fire Nation or a warrior, so they all wouldn't let me be. And I couldn't disguise myself because everyone knew me from my mug shot. So I was banished to the ocean, and hired an idiot, once formally Azula's maid, to do my work for me in exchange for her killing Azula. But I just used Tazu. She's a simple pawn. As well as Li and Sazo, who are on the airship scheduled to explode shortly. And Ty Lee. And Azula. They were all too easy for me. But my goal is simple- make sure that the four nations are all none. I want anarchy," Lu Ten finished.

"You're crazy!" Toph screamed.

"Shut up!" Lu Ten replied.

"Well how do you get anarchy by tying up teenagers to trees?" Katara asked with raised eyebrow.

Lu Ten smirked. "The Avatar must die," he explained. Aang gulped. "And from what I've heard, he's incapable of going into the Avatar State. Meaning if I kill him, there is no more Avatar."

Everyone gulped.

Lu Ten separated the chis, forming sparks in his hand, before letting loose a lightning bolt upon Aang.

And at the last minute, Zuko jumped in the way, he lightning hitting him directly in the chest.

* * *

Mai stopped, picked up the note, and stashed it in her dress pocket. But when she realized it said something on the back, she took it out again.

And scrawled in blood-red letters was,

"I'M BACK."

**Ahem. You are probably all wondering WHERE IN DAVY JONES'S LOCKER ZUKO CAME FROM.**

**I HAVE NO IDEA. :)**

**And here are my ideas that I used (Copyright FGTC Inc.)****: **

**What if Ty Lee betrayed Azula instead of ****Mai?**

**What if Zuko wasn't an idiot and took Mai with him?**

**What if Zuko and Mai weren't a couple? Eh, it's just a random idea.**

**What if Mai was in more than two episodes?**

**What if Mai joined Team Avatar since she probably wouldn't kill any of them?**

**What if Azula joined Team Avatar?**

**Some new bad guy comes up.**

**Thank you to my lovely reviewers! Spry, you get the bloody curtains as a reward! Fyre, you get Zuko's dead body! And Melody, you get an OOC Ty Lee that is insane and stuff!**

**327 views, FYI.**

**How did I do, making it a Tragedy/Drama story? Good?**

**But the questions still remain:**

**What will they do now?**

**Where is Lu Ten?**

**AND WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL?**

**CAUSE, SERIOUSLY BANANAS, CLIFFHANGERS AS ENDINGS ARE TERRIBLE AND MAKE ME WANT TO SMASH THINGS.**

**AND WHY IS MY COMPUTER STUCK IN ALL CAPS?**

**(SERIOUSLY, HELP. IT LOOKS LIKE I'M REALLY ANGRY OR SOMETHING.)**

**-BANANAS!**


End file.
